39. The Clues of the Vermilion Bird
White Tiger: "Black Tortoise doesn't easily go ashore."
"Why?"
For a fleeting moment, Baihu's eyes darted around. "He... is reserved."
Oh, social anxiety, I understand.
Bei Chen and Gui Fang looked back at Tang Xi at the same time, their eyes filled with kindness.
Tangxi and: ?
Why are you looking at me?
Tangxi couldn't laugh at all.
He reacted much slower than normal people, and only now did he realize that Pipi was actually Suzaku. He belatedly realized what he had missed, and his heart broke.
Ordinary monster contracts have many requirements. If the monster's name or race is written incorrectly, the master will suffer a backlash, ranging from injury to death. There have even been cases where the contracted monster concealed the fact that it possessed a demon core and rashly entered into a contract with the master, causing the master to die from the backlash of the contract.
However, in Pipi's understanding, a contract that can be "solved with a drop of blood" is equivalent to a Heavenly Contract, not an ordinary contract.
Perhaps in countless reincarnations, different versions of the Vermilion Bird have used their Star Emperor blood to help countless times. This blood pact has been imprinted on the Vermilion Bird's immortal flame through countless reincarnations, and has become an instinct no matter how many reincarnations there are.
Tang Xi asked, "Since Zhuque is also one of the Four Star Emperors, why was she poisoned...?"
Qinglong understood Tangxi's meaning and explained, "Zhuque is meticulous. Since she has already sensed the crisis, she must have a plan. Moreover, if she wants to perfectly impersonate a raven, Zhuque must have sealed most of her spiritual core's divine power and started from scratch."
In other words, Suzaku, with his divine power nearly gone, used his pure physical body and the remaining spiritual power in his spiritual veins to play the role of an ordinary evil crow.
In this situation, it is defenseless against ordinary poisons.
Qinglong thought of something interesting, and a smile appeared in his eyes.
"However, could this be considered a blessing in disguise? Those thugs didn't understand the characteristics of the Vermilion Bird, which actually helped it."
Tangxi and the other two were puzzled, "Help?"
Qinglong nodded: "Having experienced the poisoning incident, the Vermilion Bird that emerges in this reincarnation will definitely have the characteristic of resisting poison."
Upon hearing this, everyone was astonished, even Pipi's eyes widened, "I'm that amazing!"
The slight sense of pride that had just surfaced in my heart vanished completely upon seeing Pipi's silly, grinning face.
Azure Dragon said expressionlessly, "Vermilion Bird possesses the ability to 'resurrect' and can 'reset' its body's state with each death."
Fearing that humans wouldn't understand, Qinglong casually plucked a short hair from Baihu's head and placed it on the rim of the leaf cup that Beichen had just finished drinking from; the hair stood firmly upright.
"This ability is not omnipotent; it is similar to a balance bar, which can only be adjusted and balanced, but cannot be explored or developed."
Pipi immediately burst into laughter, jumping and skipping around, now relaxed and displaying a slightly carefree, cub-like demeanor. "I'm so amazing! I can even get better on my own when I'm sick!"
The Azure Dragon gazed at the newly born Vermilion Bird Flame. The dark-skinned cub laughed foolishly. If it didn't understand, it would idly peck around. If it did understand, it would nod knowingly. There was no trace of Zhu He.
Azure Dragon's eyes were filled with sorrow.
He actually sealed away his ten thousand years of cultivation... The price Zhu He paid to infiltrate the 'Blessed Land' and disguise himself as a real evil crow was far too high.
But Qinglong still had doubts in his heart.
—He died at the wrong time, too early.
Why must Suzaku die this time?
It's not like she can't beat humans.
Qinglong asked Zhu Qianqian, "Was there anything unusual when Zhu He was around? Did she investigate something for a long time?"
"investigation?"
Zhu Qianqian frowned slightly and thought about it carefully for a while.
"Wang... uh, Lord Zhuhe's daily work involves disguising himself as a raven and patrolling the Fragrant Cemetery, fixing things here and there. After work, he makes me cultivate, and after cultivation, he sits at his table drawing by himself..."
Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she exclaimed, "Ah! I completely forgot about something so important!"
Zhu Qianqian suddenly lunged to the bedside, flipped the bed over, and then used her wind blade to smash the floor, from which she retrieved a book completely covered in mud.
"Lord Zhuhe has been secretly investigating the 'forbidden laws' rules of the blessed lands, but so far there have been no results. She shared this with me, but I can't understand these words, so Lord Zhuhe hasn't mentioned it to me again."
"Gentlemen, take a look?"
She patted the notebook carefully, then used a cleaning technique to restore it to its original state as much as possible. She then spread the notebook, which looked like it was covered in childish doodles, out among the crowd, took a step back, and made it easier for everyone to see it.
"This is the notebook where Lady Zhuhe writes and draws every night. She said that if something happens, the notebook must be hidden and she should wait for her friend to come."
Six heads crowded around, and Qinglong raised his hand to cover it, carefully sensing, "It's definitely her. She set a secret spell. White Tiger, it seems Zhu He anticipated that you would be the first to find the book. I can't unravel it."
Pipi quickly nestled on Zhu Qianqian's shoulder, blushing, and said, "I only recognize my own name..."
The notebook cover had a large X drawn on it, making it look like a messy, scribbled book. Baihu, impatient, slammed his hand on the notebook, startling Zhu Qianqian into clenching her fist.
A flash of white light, and the secret incantation was broken.
The words on the notebook began to pop out one by one, as if in another time and space, a pen was writing furiously on this yellowed notebook riddled with wormholes.
The first thing that popped up was the large text "Investigation Record of Prohibited Laws and Regulations".
Baihu looked puzzled. "'Forbidden Laws' rules? What is she investigating?"
Qinglong: "...It's Zhu He's handwriting."
The text appeared rapidly, automatically turning to the next blank page after each page was finished, and then more text appeared, drawing intent attention from pairs of eyes.
"The former Monster Research Institute forged official documents, impersonated the Administration Bureau, and fabricated pretexts to forcibly collect monster cores. They used the blood, flesh, and spiritual essence of monsters to feed evil spirits, summoning their minions to quickly grow, thus polluting the purity of heaven and earth! All of this is shocking, and the evidence is as follows..."
The words were jumping around faster and faster, and as they got to the end, they had to skim through them quickly.
Qinglong didn't finish reading. He tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his face was cold, and he spoke through gritted teeth.
"I see. Those guys' goal is not just to seize all the resources of this blessed land."
"The research institute has committed countless evil deeds and is incredibly audacious! If we allow them to distort the truth, this blessed land will lose its beauty, and the righteous path will crumble! At that time, the eternal peace between humans and demons will be broken, the blood feud will be irreconcilable, and then war and bloodshed will follow, making this feud unsolvable!"
Qinglong was so angry that he unconsciously uttered ancient Chinese characters. Tangxi and Momo said, "In the end, they might not even know where this blood feud came from."
Qinglong closed his eyes and took several deep breaths before he could calm himself down.
"This is a battle for the right to speak, a signal of war... Chaos breeds change, and the desire to seize new power is their goal."
The notebook flipped to the last page with a rustling sound, then slammed shut, and a new secret incantation was added.
Pipi gently flipped through two pages and found that the paper had once again turned into ordinary, ugly writing and drawing, like a child's immature brushstrokes randomly scribbling on the paper.
Everyone's faces were solemn, and they remained silent for a long time.
There's nothing new under the sun; all crows are black. After hundreds of years, the same old mess has come full circle.
Pipi, who had been silent all along, couldn't help but complain, "Why are they like this? It's so annoying! The demons and monsters didn't do anything, yet they hate everyone so much!"
“Hatred needs no reason,” Tang Xi said calmly. “As long as hatred has taken hold, your existence, your breath, your passing by, your stepping into the fragrant graveyard today with your left foot, and the gradient color at the tip of your feathers—any one of these can be used to sentence you to death.”
The white tiger snorted coldly, lightning crackling on its arm. Many emotions were about to erupt in its heart, but it suppressed them again.
"Those ants, did they think they could succeed by using poison? They thought they could do a perfect job by slaughtering everyone in the grave, but they only helped the Vermilion Bird complete a 'rebirth' and reset its fragile constitution that couldn't detoxify!"
After this huge pitfall, this round of Suzaku will definitely be stronger than the last round of Suzaku.
However, he is no longer Zhu He.
"Baihu and I will definitely see this matter through to the end."
The Azure Dragon suppressed his anger, "This once sacred and blessed land has now been turned into a mess by you humans. This situation could not have happened overnight; someone must be covering it up!"
She turned to the White Tiger and said, "Let's split up. I'll go to the Immortal Alliance, and you stay here to protect the Vermilion Bird until he takes human form."
“Yes,” Baihu nodded seriously, “but there is one more thing.”
His gaze fell on Bei Chen's companion. Bei Chen was slightly taken aback, his throat tightened, and he didn't know what Bai Hu meant by that look.
The Four Star Emperors were born with the power to "see into the soul's heart." The divine mark on the White Tiger's forehead flashed by, and in the blink of an eye, he clearly "saw" the true nature of Bei Chen's soul.
Clear, transparent, resilient, and gentle.
Compared to his true form as the White Tiger, Bei Chen's spiritual power was not particularly strong, but his soul qualities were as clear as the sky after rain, possessing a resilience that could dispel gloom even after experiencing countless trials.
"Hey kid, you've got a good heart."
Baihu's tone remained direct, "Having a fist is useless if you can't protect yourself. Have you been anxious lately?"
Bei Chen's companion was stunned, quickly clutching his chest and taking a step back in shock. How could they see that? This is so unbelievable!
However, since he had already been seen through, Bei Chen simply stood at attention and frankly said, "Yes. My friends are all making progress, even Pipi has regained his memories, but I'm the only one standing still."
"I have brute strength, but I don't know how to use it. I want to find a suitable way to dissolve my body as soon as possible."
Gui Fang was slightly surprised, while Tang Xi was even more shocked, her usually expressionless face completely breaking down. "Bei Chen is accompanying you? Is that what you were thinking?"
Do novel protagonists also experience internal conflicts?
Bei Chen said somewhat embarrassedly, "Along the way, you have all made progress, while I have only stayed in the same place. How can I not be anxious?"
Baihu smiled, his approval of Beichen growing even stronger. "Hey, I find you pleasing to the eye, so I'll give you a wisp of sword energy."
He pointed his finger into the air, and a platinum sword aura containing the true meaning of killing and protection condensed out of thin air, flashing with lightning. Zhu Qianqian reacted quickly, holding the rapidly bristling Pipi and dodging backward, afraid that the lightning would damage Pipi's feathers.
The sword energy, crackling with lightning, formed a long strip and gradually drifted towards Beichen. When it landed in Beichen's hand, the cold light had already formed a dark golden mace about five feet long.
Gui Fang was about to spit out the words "dog-beating stick" on his tongue, but considering that Bai Hu was still there and that Bei Chen would definitely chase after him and beat him up with this stick-like mace, Gui Fang smiled politely and said in an uproar, "This stick is quite suitable for you."
"Is that so?"
Bei Chen held the long mace with delight.
The mace has no blade, but is engraved with simple cloud and thunder patterns. It exudes a deep and profound radiance, feels slightly heavy in the hand, and strangely resonates with the energy of Beichen's companion.
Bei Chen Sui Xing carefully sensed that a powerful and sharp energy was washing over his body along his spiritual meridians, sinking into his dantian, and faintly merging with his own sword intent, causing a slight numbness. This feeling was indescribable. When he sensed the resonance between the long mace and his energy meridians, for a moment, Bei Chen Sui Xing actually had a strong premonition that he could "summon the Star Lord at will".
Bei Chen was startled by his own arrogant thought, flattered and overwhelmed, and stared blankly as he grasped the unexpected divine weapon, "Really giving it to me? Why?"
The White Tiger said, "This mace has no edge; it does not harm people with 'sharpness,' but breaks all laws with 'weight.' It is most demanding of the user's mentality and spiritual power, and it is a perfect match for you."
Bei Chen held the mace, and the surging spiritual energy in his spiritual veins resonated with the mace in his hand, making it hum and communicate with its new master's mind. This seemed to be a very combative mace, and Bei Chen could strongly sense its excitement.
Having come this far without a suitable weapon, and with the blessed land fraught with danger, Bei Chen weighed the long mace in his hand. The pressure in his heart finally eased, and he couldn't help but throw his head back and laugh loudly: "Hahahaha! Thank you, boss! Thank you!"
"whispering sound."
Gui Fang rolled his eyes discreetly. "Look how happy you are."
The Azure Dragon beside her chuckled, a divine mark flashing on its forehead, revealing a clear view of Gui Fang's soul essence. However, what met its eyes was a bizarre poisonous aura, penetrating to the very marrow, completely contradicting the life force she possessed.
The smile on her lips faded, and she said to Gui Fang, "I also want to help you, but unfortunately you are born with poison, and there is no cure for this poison. The only way to expel the poison is to cultivate evil energy, which is something that ordinary people can obtain, and it is not suitable for you."
"Head north to the Wandering Inn; that tentacle monster might be able to help you."
Gui Fang was secretly delighted, but he forced a smile and said politely, "Thank you."
"And you..."
Qinglong turned to Tangxi and paused in thought.
How could there be such a turbid soul?
It's like a chaotic soul trapped in a small space, confined to its own little world.
Qinglong thought he was seeing things and subconsciously gave Baihu a meaningful look. Baihu was no less shocked than Qinglong. In Baihu's eyes, Tangxi and the soul within her were a complete mess. What he saw was neither clear nor strange, but rather like mist or a whirlpool, with the past and future all blurred and indistinct.
Tang Xi seemed oblivious to the shock in Qinglong and Baihu's eyes, her calm face revealing little emotion.
"Azure Dragon, you just said that my friend is born with poison in his body?"
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